Azores Holiday Destination Guide

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Detour to the Valley of Lombadas

South from Ribeira Grande lies another of the island’s fascinating nature attractions, the valley of Lombadas, which can be reached on a very scenic secondary road leading to the Lagoa do Congro. Before you reach the valley, you pass through Caldeiras, a former spa centre where proofs of living volcanic activity can be observed and it is still possible to bathe in the warm sources. The climbing road behind Caldeiras gives way to beautiful views over the north coast as far as the western point of the island. The valley of Lombadas, which has been declared nature reserve, is a fascinating, rather savage and untouched landscape with mineral water springs and luxuriant vegetation. It is also departure point for one of the island’s most spectacular walks, leading for about 4 hours on a marked track round the valley up the 880 m high peak of Monte Escuro through a deserted dazzling wilderness where endemic vegetation grows in abundance. Reaching the top of the peak, all your efforts are rewarded with breathtaking views across the inaccessible wilderness of this valley with its rough beauty.

Pure Nature
View over the mountains
Fascinating nature attractions
Fascinating nature attractions

If time is no issue, it will be rewarding to continue on this secondary road and to find the Lagoa do Congro, a little lake, which can be reached on an earth track. As it is hidden inside a caldera, surrounded by dense cedars, it will only appear in front of you when you actually get there. To get a better view of the originality of the whole site, it is perhaps recommendable to climb up a nearby hill.

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